Removable and adjustable stock stabilizing hook attachment for rifle buttstocks

ABSTRACT

A stock stabilizer hook attachment, in the shape of a generally triangular or L-shaped body, can be removably secured to the lower rear edge of a standard rifle stock butt. Most rifles are equipped with front and rear swivel or fixed sling studs which can be used to attach a sling. In order to attach the hook attachment of the present invention to a conventional rifle but having installed swivel studs, the rear swivel or fixed sling stud is removed, the hook attachment is positioned on the rifle butt, and a screw/bolt is used to secure the hook attachment to the stock butt. For one embodiment of the invention the hook attachment is slidably adjustable along the lower edge of the stock butt, and can be tightened in any position within a provided range of movement. Another embodiment of the invention is non-adjustable.

This application has a priority date based on the filing of provisional patent application 60/784,003, which was filed on Mar. 19, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, generally, to firearms and more particularly to attachments for a rifle buttstock that enhance the weapon's accuracy and stability when fired in a prone position for hunting, competition, target shooting and sniping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hunting, competition, sniper and target-shooting rifles are frequently equipped with a built-in stock stabilizer hook, frequently called a butt-hook, that a prone shooter can employ to stabilize the gun by grasping it with one or more fingers of the non-trigger hand. The trigger hand is then used to actuate both the cartridge reloading/eject mechanism and the trigger. A butt-hook rifle stock 100 having an adjustable cheek rest 101 is shown in FIG. 1 as a profile view. Butt-hook rifle stocks tend to be more expensive than conventional rifle stocks. In addition, the butt hook may be a nuisance for conventional stand-up shooting. FIG. 2 shows a conventional rifle stock 200 which has no butt hook. However, the conventional rifle stock 200 does have front and rear swivel sling studs 201F and 201R, respectively. Although the stocks of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are designed for different types of rifles, the present invention can be adapted to fit conventional rifle stocks for nearly any type of rifle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a stock stabilizer hook attachment that can be removably secured to the lower rear edge of a standard riffle stock butt. Most rifles are equipped with front and rear swivel or fixed sling studs which can be used to attach a sling. In order to attach the hook attachment of the present invention to a conventional rifle but having installed swivel studs, the rear swivel or fixed sling stud is removed, the hook attachment is positioned on the rifle butt, and a screw/bolt is used to secure the hook attachment to the stock butt. For one embodiment of the invention the hook attachment is slidably adjustable along the lower edge of the stock butt, and can be tightened in any position within a provided range of movement. Another embodiment of the invention is non-adjustable. A third embodiment is also non-adjustable, but is secured to swivel stud in the rifle stock via an attachment block, a pin and a second swivel stud that allows the use of a sling once the hook attachment is installed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a prior-art rifle stock incorporating incorporating a butthook;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a conventional rifle stock having a butt which does not incorporate a hook;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an adjustable first embodiment hook attachment shown as ready for installation on the conventional rifle stock of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a close-up top plan view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a right-side elevational view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 9 is a left-side elevational view of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment shown as ready for installation on the conventional rifle stock of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a close-up top plan view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a right-side elevational view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 13 is a rear elevational view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of a non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment shown as ready for installation on the conventional rifle stock of FIG. 2;

FIG. 18 is a close-up top plan view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a right-side elevational view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 20 is a rear elevational view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 21 is a front elevational view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 22 is a bottom plan view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 23 is a left-side elevational view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 24 is a close-up close-up side elevational view of the non-adjustable third embodiment hook attachment shown as ready for installation on the conventional rifle stock;

FIG. 25 is a close-up view of the attachment hardware rotated 90 degrees;

FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the attachment block seen in FIGS. 17 and 24;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the attachment block of FIG. 16, taken through section line 17-17;

FIG. 28 is a top plan view of the attachment plate used to secure the hook attachment to the rifle stock;

FIG. 29 is a side elevational view of an adjustable fourth embodiment adjustable hook attachment shown as ready for installation on the conventional rifle stock of FIG. 2;

FIG. 30 is a close-up top plan view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 31 is a right-side elevational view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 32 is a rear elevational view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 33 is a front elevational view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 34 is a bottom plan view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment;

FIG. 35 is a left-side elevational view of the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The removable stock stabilizing hook attachment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to attached drawing FIGS. 3 through 16. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that they are intended to be only illustrative of the several embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an adjustable first embodiment hook attachment 300 includes a first embodiment hook attachment body 301 having a generally triangular side profile that is attachable to a standard rifle stock 200 by removal of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R (see FIG. 2) from the stock. An appropriately sized screw 302 is then used to secure the first embodiment body 301 to the rear portion of the rifle stock 200. The screw 302 can be either a wood screw or a machine screw having a slotted, phillips-type, allen-type or other equivalent head that engages a threaded metal insert installed in the lower edge of the rifle stock that is intended to engage a swivel or fixed sling stud.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 9, the first embodiment body 301 of the adjustable first embodiment hook attachment 300 can be fabricated from a variety of materials as later explained. The body 301 has a semi-circular groove 401 that fits against the lower edge of the rifle stock 200. A longitudinal slot 402, which is centered in within the semi-circular groove 401, enables the body 301 to be adjustably positioned on the stock 200. The range of adjustment is equal to the length of the slot 402, minus the diameter of the screw 302 that is used to secure the first embodiment body 301 to the rifle stock. A recess 403 at the bottom of the hook attachment 300 is wider than the slot 402 and provides a support shelf for the head of the securing screw 301. The hook attachment 300 has an outwardly projecting toe 404, which prevents the fingers of the shooter from slipping off the first embodiment hook attachment body 301. The front face 405 of the first embodiment body 301 is curved for comfort.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a non-adjustable second embodiment hook attachment 1000 includes a second embodiment hook attachment body 1001 that is attachable to a standard rifle stock 200 by removal of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R (see FIG. 2) from the stock. An appropriately sized screw 1002 is then used to secure the second embodiment adjustable hook attachment body 1001 to the rear portion of the rifle stock 200. With this second embodiment hook attachment body 1001, an extra long rear swivel or fixed sling stud may be employed to secure the hook attachment body 1001 to the rifle stock 200 so that a sling can be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 16, the second embodiment hook attachment body 1001 is similar to the first embodiment body 301, with the exception that there is a single securing hole 1003 rather than a longitudinal slot 402. Thus, the second embodiment body 1001 can be installed in only one position on the rifle butt. The head of the securing screw 302 fits within a shallow cylindrical recess 1004. For a preferred embodiment of the invention, the recess 1004 is sufficiently shallow to allow the use of a swivel or fixed sling stud.

Referring now to FIGS. 17 through 23, a third embodiment non-adjustable hook attachment 1700 includes a third embodiment hook attachment body 1701 that is securable to the rear swivel stud 1702 of the rifle with special attachment hardware that includes an attachment block 1703 that can be pinned to the swivel stud 1702 and an auxiliary swivel stud 1704 that secures the third embodiment hook attachment body 1701 to the attachment block 1703. This arrangement permits the use of a sling even with the third embodiment hook attachment 1700 installed on the rifle stock. It will be noted that a laminar attachment plate 1705 is used to distribute the attachment load against the hook attachment body 1701. The flat plate 1705 has a central aperture 1706, through which the auxiliary swivel stud 1704 passes.

Referring now to FIG. 25, the attachment hardware is shown in greater detail. The rear swivel stud 1702 of the rifle is shown detached from the rifle in this view in order to simplify the drawing. The attachment block 1703 fits over the head 2501 of the rear swivel stud 1702 and a retaining pin 2502 passes through a retaining aperture 2503 in the attachment block 1703 and through the aperture 2505 in the head 2501 of the rear swivel stud 1702. The retaining pin 2502 is held in place by a recess 2504 in the hook attachment block 1701. The auxiliary swivel stud 1704 passes through the attachment plate 1705 and screws into the attachment block 1703.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 and 27, the attachment block 1703 is shown, first in a side elevational view and then in a cross-sectional view in the latter drawing figure. A threaded hole 2701 in the attachment block 1703 enable the auxiliary swivel stud 1704 to be secured to the attachment block 1703.

Referring now to FIG. 28, the laminar attachment plate 1705 is rectangularly shaped and has a central aperture 2801 through which the auxiliary swivel stud 1704 passes.

Referring now to FIG. 29, an adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment 2900 has a fourth embodiment hook attachment body 2901 that is attachable to a standard rifle stock 200 by removal of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R (see FIG. 2) from the stock. The rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R is then used to secure the fourth embodiment hook attachment body 2901 directly to the rifle stock 200. For this embodiment, the head 2902 of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R is exposed, thereby facilitating attachment of a sling thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 30 to 35, the adjustable fourth embodiment hook attachment body 2901 is similar to the first embodiment body 301, in that it has a longitudinal slot which provides forward and aft adjustability of the hook attachment body 2901. It differs from the first embodiment hook attachment body 301 in that it has an L-shaped, rather than triangular, side profile. Exposure of the head 2901 of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud 201R is attributable to this L-shaped profile. Given that the position of the rear swivel or fixed sling stud varies considerably from rifle to rifle, a rear end portion of any of the hook attachment bodies 301, 1001, 1701, and 2901 can be extended so that it can be trimmed to fit the rifle stock on which it is installed.

Any of the bodies 301, 1001, 1701 and 2901 of the four embodiments of the stock stabilizer hook attachment disclosed herein can be fabricated by injection molding or casting using thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic resins. Alternatively, the various embodiments of the stock stabilizer hook attachment can be carved from wood, machined or cast from a structural metal such as aluminum, magnesium, brass or steel, or fabricated from hard, semi-resilient materials, such as hard rubber or other similar polymeric materials.

Although only several embodiments of the new removable and/or adjustable stock stabilizing hook attachment for rifle buttstocks have been heretofore described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A removable stock stabilizer hook attachment mountable to a lower rear portion of a rifle stock, said stock stabilizer hook attachment comprising: a stabilizer hook body having a forward face around which at least one finger of a shooter can be wrapped and an upper semi-cylindrical channel which mates with a rearward portion of a rounded lower edge of the rifle stock; and means for attaching said block to the lower rear portion of the rifle stock.
 2. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 1, wherein said body has a generally triangular side profile.
 3. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 1, wherein said body has a generally L-shaped profile.
 4. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 1, wherein said means for attaching comprises: an aperture in said body positioned in the middle of said semi-cylindrical channel; and a threaded fastener insertable through said aperture and which engages a threaded hole generally centered on the rearward bottom edge of the rifle stock.
 5. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 4, wherein said aperture is a slot providing fore and aft adjustability of the stock stabilizer hook attachment.
 6. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 4, wherein said aperture is a cylindrical aperture sized to receive the threaded fastener, thereby providing no adjustability for forward and aft movement of the body.
 7. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 1, wherein said body is fabricated from materials selected from the group consisting of wood, polymeric plastic resin, hard rubber, and metal.
 8. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 7, wherein said polymeric plastic resin is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins and thermosetting plastic resins.
 9. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 4, wherein said threaded fastener is selected from the group consisting of wood screws, machine screws, threaded fixed sling studs, and threaded swivel sling studs.
 10. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 1, wherein said means for attaching comprises: an aperture in said body positioned in the middle of said semi-cylindrical channel; a threaded sling stud having a head with a sling attachment aperture transverse to the central axis of the stud; an attachment block having a cylindrical recess which fits over the head of the threaded sling stud, said attachment block having an aperture which aligns with the sling attachment aperture and a threaded aperture coaxial to the cylindrical recess; a pin for inserting through the apertures of the attachment block and the head of the sling stud; and an auxiliary swivel stud that secures the hook attachment body to the attachment block.
 11. The removable stock stabilizer hook attachment of claim 10, wherein said hook attachment body had a recess which fits over the attachment block and is sized to prevent the pin from disengaging the sling attachment aperture of the threaded sling stud. 